What is HYPE?
HYPE (Helping Youth on the Path to Employment) is a manual-based program designed to support the career development of transition-aged youth and young adults with mental health conditions. HYPE modernizes the practices of Supported Employment (SE) and Supported Education (SEd) by prioritizing education early in a young adult’s career and preparing providers to offer both approaches to attend to youth who are often working and going to school at the same time. HYPE’s integrated model of employment and education services addresses the unique career development needs of young adults with mental health conditions.
Our Vision is that young adults with mental health conditions will have access to services and opportunities that promote professional development and economic independence in order to prevent disability.
Our Mission is to assist young adults with mental health conditions to develop the necessary skills and support needed to identify, choose, and achieve meaningful careers.
How does HYPE achieve its mission?
Trained HYPE providers offer intentional supports aimed at maximizing academic performance, increasing persistence, and minimizing the disruptions young adults with mental health conditions typically encounter in school and work. Through a holistic approach, HYPE develops critical skills, connects young adults to valuable resources, and educates them on accommodations and assistive technology to advocate for their needs. Recognizing education as a vital vocational step, HYPE honors further education as crucial for achieving economic self-sufficiency and long-term career satisfaction.
Why HYPE is Needed
HYPE is designed to address the pervasive underemployment and unemployment of transition age youth and young adults by designing supports and strategies to help successfully launch them into lifelong career trajectories. At a pivotal juncture between leaving secondary education and entering the workforce, transition-aged youth benefit from specialized guidance to navigate this critical phase of their lives.
Education Matters
Students with mental health conditions often struggle at every level of education. Over 50% of students with mental health conditions over the age of 14 end up dropping out of high school, making mental health conditions the disability group with the highest dropout rate. About 40% of the general young adult population goes on to attend college, but that number is only 7-26% for young adults with mental health conditions. Students with mental health conditions have high dropout rates from college (86%) and low graduation rates in comparison to their peers1. Although the statistics show young adults with mental health conditions experience additional barriers, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics graph (shown) demonstrates how important education can be in protecting youth from unemployment and poverty.
The 5 Pillars of HYPE
1. Intentional Services
Individualized 1:1 support on a weekly basis for at least the first semester, focused on goal plans, skill development, resource coordination, and academic/career planning. In alignment with HYPE values, services are mobile and time unlimited to meet students where they’re at.
2. Goal Development & Refinement
We understand that self-discovery is a natural part of the college journey. Our approach emphasizes continual goal development and refinement to align with evolving career aspirations. HOC providers assist students in crafting specific goal plans that reflect their interests and values. These goals serve as guides for every aspect of services and are treated as a living breathing document.
3. Skill Development
HOC providers are trained to deliver Focused Skill and Strategy Training (FSST), a proven, manualized 12-session Executive Functioning curriculum that systematically develops skills and strategies to overcome cognitive challenges commonly faced by students with mental health conditions, such as memory, organization, task completion, concentration, learning, and problem-solving.
Students in college have the equivalent of several bosses, each with their own full set of expectations students are challenged to meet. These students are often also working while in school. The skills taught are key to a student’s ability to effectively and actively engage and manage their learning.
4. Resource Development
HOC providers identify resource needs and facilitate connection between students and services, both on- and off-campus that affect their success. Students with mental health conditions are more likely than other students to “fall through the cracks”, potentially leading to isolation, hopelessness, and academic crises.
HOC helps students and campuses by fostering increased collaboration between key offices: Services for Students with Disabilities, Tutoring Services, University Counseling Center, the College of Community and Public Affairs, and more. This increased collaboration connects students to necessary services and supports, while also enhancing the University's capacity to serve current and incoming students, ensuring a safety net for students with mental health conditions.
5. Accommodations & Assistive Technology Education and Advocacy
Students with mental health conditions often do not realize that Disability/ Accessibility Services, Academic Accommodations, or Assistive Technology (AAT) are available to them. HOC providers collaborate with students and campus services to ensure the optimal utilization of accommodations and assistive technology granted by the college to ensure equal access to quality education and to maximize student access.
The Importance of Executive Functioning Skills Training
Within the framework of HYPE's five pillars, executive functioning skills training holds a critical role in equipping young adults with the skills needed to thrive across various roles and environments. These skills, including task prioritization, time management, and problem-solving, are essential for success in both work and school. Recognizing their significance, HYPE places a strong emphasis on nurturing these skills through targeted interventions and support mechanisms.
Focused Skills and Strategies Training (FSST)
As an essential part of HYPE services, FSST provides a tested, manualized curriculum designed to systematically teach executive functioning skills and promote self-regulated learning and self-management that best support academic and employment success. FSST empowers young adults and the providers supporting them to navigate academic and employment challenges with confidence.
What Else?
The HYPE model has expanded with a number of adaptations in response to the specific needs of young adults with mental health conditions and the services that support them, resulting in the creation of:
HYPE on Campus, a tested model in which HYPE is embedded directly on a college campus, showed an increase in the number of classes and credits taken.
HYPE Course, a group intervention focused on career preparation.
Interested in HYPE?
Our team works collaboratively with organizations, colleges, universities, and more to create and implement a training and implementation plan that is specific to each organization.